Interview with:Pat Mc Mahon [patmcm3]
WRITING
 | What did you first read? How did you begin to write? Who were the first to read what you wrote? My first actual reading for pleasure was J.R.R.Tolkien's Hobbit series, closely followed by Winnie The Pooh. These were read to me by my first great love, and I was in my early twenties.
I began writing poetry because I had to. It was insisting to be written down. The first to read any poetry was always whomever I was madly in love with at the time. I now write non-fiction. |
| What is your favorite genre? Can you provide a link to a site where we can read some of your work or learn something about it? If I must narrow down to a singular genre, I will say personal essay. Otherwise, there are many. To view an example of a memoir I am working on, check Los Angeles Daily News and search my name, I sold as an op-ed piece. I may even come up on Google, don't know, haven't checked. |
| What is your creative process like? What happens before sitting down to write? What happens is usually stream of consciousness.........it plays the entire story in my head and I am pulled like a magnet to write it down asap. |
| What type of reading inspires you to write? Anything that inspires me, that moves me and reflects back to me what I love about being alive. |
| What do you think are the basic ingredients of a story? I find their are many recipes and, like my palate, I enjoy many flavors. |
| What voice do you find most to your liking: first person or third person? First, At the moment. I don't step outside myself to become the observer in my current writing. |
| What well known writers do you admire most? Gloria Steinem, Ekhart Tolle, Barack Obama. Many obscure writers. |
| What is required for a character to be believable? How do you create yours? I document what speaks to me. I don't create them, they process out. |
| Are you equally good at telling stories orally? Yes, I have always loved telling stories orally. I'm Irish. I was a member of Toastmasters but I do not enjoy the structure as much as I enjoy stream of consciousness story telling, it has more passion and emotion. |
| Deep down inside, who do you write for? Myself |
| Is writing a form of personal therapy? Are internal conflicts a creative force? At times, yes. Sometimes writing is a celebration of life. |
| Does reader feed-back help you? Some of it does; only that which goes beyond "I liked it, I didn't like it ". |
| Do you participate in competitions? Have you received any awards? No, I do not support competition in creative realms. How can a ruby compete with a sapphire? It is all a matter of preference and can be too distracting from listening to the creative voice dictating. |
| Do you share rough drafts of your writings with someone whose opinion you trust? I used to but now just put them aside and go back a few days later with a new listening. That critic doing the listening always knows where to go next. |
| Do you believe you have already found "your voice" or is that something one is always searching for? yes |
| What discipline do you impose on yourself regarding schedules, goals, etc.? I don't impose on myself in my writing or in my artwork. |
| What do you surround yourself with in your work area in order to help your concentrate? I usually like to work at home and in silence, but that can vary as long as I am at home with my cat and my dog. |
| Do you write on a computer? Do you print frequently? Do you correct on paper? What is your process? Yes and no. I have scribbled ideas and notes everywhere and then try to locate them when I actually sit and write at a computer. I also keep journal notes in several journals. |
| What sites do you frequent on-line to share experiences or information? I don't |
| What has been your experience with publishers? The first piece I submitted to the Daily News was published.
I have not turned in my book proposal to the agent requesting. Yet. |
| What are you working on now? I am working on a Memoir |
| What do you recommend I do with all those things I wrote years ago but have never been able to bring myself to show anyone? Read them over, decide if you WANT to share them, then find the people who focus on what you have to say, what your writing says. |
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491 visits Whohub
Pat Mc Mahon
Loa Angeles
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| Lynda Cookson, Writer and Artist | |
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